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{
    "id": 1354634,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1354634/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 460,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tarbaj, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Hussein Abdi",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. I wish to thank Hon. Abdul Haro for bringing this Motion. This disaster has unveiled the underbelly of this country. Such disasters have happened in the past. They have even been predicted that they would happen, but unfortunately, we did not plan well. It is not limited to this disaster. The general planning in this country is poor. Even as we all acknowledge that this disaster affects all parts of the country, the magnitude differs from one place to another. Allow me to speak for Wajir County, specifically my constituency. We cannot even access fuel that serves the off-grid power station in Wajir Town. Wajir County is in complete darkness because fuel cannot be taken to the generator sets that Kenya Power uses. Hospital theatres are not operational because there is no power. They all use diesel. Moving from one point to another in Wajir is impossible. I cannot even go round my constituency. I cannot go anywhere. I can only land at Wajir Headquarters and just stay there. I cannot even help my people. I wish to add my voice to the voices of the Members who spoke before me and say that the President should declare this El Nino a national disaster so that resources can be mobilised from our friends, donors and well-wishers across the country. As some Members who spoke before me said, we have appropriated a certain amount of money for disasters like this one. There is money for emergencies. We want to see that money being rolled out to save the lives of our people. We are now appropriating the second budget of the current regime. The unfortunate thing is that when this season of floods ends, we will still be crying about lack of water. We have presented a number of proposals and we have been promised a number of dams are going to be built in certain areas of this country so that water can be stored. Sadly, even with all the proposals we have given, we do not have anywhere to store this water. We will be crying again because of lack of water. I shudder to say that sometimes when certain Bills, like the Conflict of Interest Bill, are brought here, certain people in strategic places like the Committee on Budget and Appropriations, or certain important committees, take most of the budget to certain areas thereby neglecting the areas some of us come from. I want to add that the leadership of this House has deserted the House. Probably, they feel that this Motion is not important. Let me repeat what my brother from Garissa Town, Hon. Dekow, has said, that it is not going to be business as usual. Where I come from, and the whole of Kenya, must be considered for our rightful share of development. This cannot continue anymore. I also want to say that, just to help this emergency programme, there is the Northern Corridor Highway, which was supposed to be done in bits in my constituency from Wajir Town through Tarbaj to Kutulo. The tendering process has already ended. The concurrence from the funders has already gone through. Therefore, I am urging the Cabinet Secretary for Roads and The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}